It seems that after a bit of a struggle to find the right people, all the main players are now in place for Disney and Sam Raimi’s Oz The Great And Powerful, with Michelle Williams coming on board to play Glinda the Good Witch, according to Variety.
In the film, James Franco will play a fast-talking snake oil salesman and illusionist who flees a travelling circus and winds up whisked away in a hot air balloon by a tornado to Oz, where he must face off against real magic and the sisters battling for control of the land. Theadora (Mila Kunis) starts out as a good witch, alongside her beautiful sister Glinda (Michelle Williams), but after her sexual advances are jilted by Francos salesman, shes convinced by Evanora (Rachel Weisz) to switch sides and help her evil older sister rule Oz. Presumably though Franco wins out, as he eventually becomes the Wizard Of Oz, who will later be visited by Dorothy.
Glinda, of course, becomes The Good Witch of the North, who famously arrives in a bubble (and was played by Billy Burke) in the 1939 Judy Garland Oz flick.
The plan is to start shooting in July, for an autumn/Christmas 2012 release. It’s certainly all starting to seem very intriguing, with a great crop of actresses playing the witches. The only shame is we’ll never get to see Robert Downey Jr. playing the title role, which was the original plan before he dropped out.